Island



a Sheets-Sheet 1. 1

'0. F. PIKE. Steam-Boiler Furnaces.

Patented Jan. 13 1880.

INVENTGR.

WI'IA'NESSES.

. N PETERS. PHOTO-LITHQGRAPuER. WASHINGTON n c 8 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. P. PIKE. Steam-Boiler Furnaces.

No. 223,606. Patented Jan. 13,1880.

WITNESSES.

N. PETERS, PHOYO-LI'IHOGRAPNH, WASHINGTON, D. c.

a Sheets-$het s.- G. F. PIKE.

Steam-Boiler Furnaces. No. 223,606. Patented.Jan.13,'1880;-

INVENTORZ WITNESSES.

NPETEBS, PHOTO-LITNOBRAPNER. WASHINGTON. D C.

I proceeded upon the well-established theory UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CHARLES F. PIKE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

STEAM-BOILER FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,606, dated January13, 1880.

Application filed October 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. PIKE, of the city and county ofProvidence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in SteamBoiler and other Furnaces, for use withmarine, stationary, and locomotive boilers, as well as with furnacesadapted for heating air and other similar purposes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The prime object of my invention is to economize in fuel, and in theattainment of that end to obviate waste of noxious gaseous'matter, thewasteful development of smoke within the furnace, and the escape ordischarge therefrom of solid particles of fuel, such as are eou1- monlytermed sparks and cinders.

In the development of my invention I have that perfect combustion withina furnace must of necessity obviate the wasteful discharge therefrom ofignitable matter, whether solid or gaseous, and that with a high degreeof combustion no smoke can be produced within a furnace, and thereforenone can be discharged therefrom.

In the attainment of these ends I employ welLknown elements which haveheretofore been combined and arranged in various ways; and my inventionconsists in certain novel features in the construction of some of theseelements and their arrangement with relation to each other, asparticularly hereinafter set forth in my specified claims of invention.

To more particularly describe my invention, I will refer to theaccompanying drawings, of which there are three sheets.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents, in longitudinal central vertical section,so much of alocomotive boiler as is necessary to illustrate myimprovements as applied thereto. Fig. 2,-Sheet 2, is an outline sketchof such a locomotive-boiler. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a longitudinal lateralsectional view ofthe fire-box shown in Fig. 1 on line :20 a. Fig. 4,Sheet 2, is a vertical lateral sectional view of the upper portion ofthe firebox, Fig. 1, on line yy, to show the cross-sectional contour ofthe rear brick arch and the mode ofmounting-it in position. Figs. 5 and6, Sheet 3, are, respectively, views, in horizontal and verticalsection, of a fire-box embodying my invention and illustrating avariation Wherever such letters of reference are used,

A denotes the fire-box; B, the furnace-door; O, the ash-pan; D, thecrown-sheet of the boiler; E, the boiler tubes or lines, and F the usualgrate-bars, mounted on lugs a,'projecting from each side wall of thelire-box. Surrounding the sides and ends of the fire-box is the usualwater jacket or space b, which communicates with the interior of theboiler. The inner walls, G, of the fire-box are sufficiently separatedfrom the adjacent wall of the boiler to afford, as heretofore, anair-space, c, on both sides and at each end of the firebox. Into thisair-space atmospheric air is introduced, as heretofore, under suchpressure as may be available.

, In the locomotive fire-box shown I rely upon a funnel-shaped pipe, H,which projects from the advanced end of the fire-box and communicateswith the air-space 0, preferably byway I of several ducts c.

In connection with stationary or marine steam-boilers I rely uponblowers or other mechanical devices for attaining the proper inductionof air. The main induction air-pipe is provided with a valve, H, wherebymuclr or little air may enter, 'as may be required.

I have illustrated two modes of constructing the inner walls of thefire-box. In Figs. 1 and 3 they are composed of fire-clay, constructedin sections 01, secured in position by means of step-lugs c, projectinginward from the inner adjacent wall of the boiler, said step-1n gs beingso constructed as to not unduly obstruct the.

These wall-sections d are readily air-space c. renewed from time totime, as occasion may require. The end sections are preferably segmentalin horizontal section, as shown, so as to afford free passage of airaround the outer corners of the inner wall.

The walls Gr, when composed of fire-clay, as described, are providedwith numerous ducts or apertures f, through which the air passes fromthe air space 0 into the fire-box upon and amongthe burning coals. Toassure an impinging or reverberating effect, especially from the uppertier of ducts, they are inclined i-nward and downward, as shown. The aird acts or openings adjacent to the grate are also inclined inward anddownward, which prevents their getting clogged with solid matter, andalso prevents fine ashes from entering the airspace during intervals ofrest. The return of fine ashes to the furnace with the forced air wouldpractically retard combustion.

In order that a desirably uniform delivery of air may be attainedthrough the side ducts as compared with those of the front end, I preferthat these latter be smaller or fewer in number to a given area of wallthan those on the sides.

With a view to utilizing the heat generated to as great an extent as ispossible, and also to render the side walls of the fire-box suitable forcertain classes of furnaces, I substitute for the fire-clay sections aseries of strong heavy water-pipes, arranged parallel, one aboveanother, as in a return flat coil, and have these pipes communicate withthe water-space of the boiler. This mode of construction is illustratedin Figs. 5 and 6, wherein these pipes g are shown in a continuous coil,communicating at each end g with the boiler, to secure an activewater-circulation. In large fire-boxes the water in these pipes, if inone coil, would be lia-' ble to become unduly heated; and therefore Iwould arrange them in two or more separate sections, and have eachsection independently connected at top and bottom with the waterspaceofthe boiler. These pipes are either so closely placed by me with relationto each other as to cause the air passing between them to enter thefire-box above and adjacent to the fuel therein in thin sheets, or theyare placed more widely-apart, with lengths of double-concaved fire-brickplaced at frequent intervals,to afl'ord between the coincident ends ofthe bricks the desired air-ducts of such variation in area of opening asmay be required.

It will be seen that when the double-concaved tire-brick are interposedbetween the pipes they will contribute to more fully heat the enteringair, and also'that, by a variation of the spaces between the ends ofsaid bricks, the air-ducts may be readily graduated in area to anydesired extent.

The brick arches I and I are so dimensioned, formed, and placed withrelation to each other as to be interposed between the fire-bed and.

the crown-sheet D of the boiler.

The main or rear brick arch, I, is concavoconvex in cross-section, withthe concave surface on its lower side. Its upper surface longitudinallyinclines upward from the rear of the fire-box, just below the lowertubes of the boiler, to a point near the crown-sheet, and thence towardthe front of the fire-box parallel with the crown-sheet.

The lower longitudinal contour of the rear arch, I, is complex in thatfrom the rear of the 1 which they are in contact.

fire-box it extends upward and forward in a straight line for a portionof its length, and thence curves downward at h to a point at or near thecenter of the firebox, and thence for a short distance on a straightline, thence upward and forward on a curve, terminating in a straightline parallel with the upper surface of the arch, near its end andoverlapping the front arch.

The front arch,-I, extends from the inner front surface of the fire-boxfrom a pointabove the furnace-door downward in a curved line, thenceforward, and thence downward at h, its upper surface corresponding incontour with the overlapping surface of the rear or main arch, I.

Between the inner end of the front arch and the down wardly-projecti ngportion of the main arch is the entrance to curved flue, K, eX- tendingtoward the front, bounded above and below by the brick arches, and oneach side by the walls of the water-jacket of the boiler.

These brick arches are constructed in sections uniting on a centrallongitudinal line common to all of them, and divided laterally asfrequently as may be conducive to their being properly molded. Eachsection is provided at its outer edge with a socket or recess, whichreceives and engages with studs or lugs projecting from the side wallsof,the boiler, with The abutment of the inner edges of each pair ofsections serves to firmly bind them in position, as illustrated in Fig.4. This construction of the arches and the mode of mounting them inposition admits of their ready removal for cleaning their backs, andalso for cleaning the boilertubes. The sides of the flue may also, inmany cases, be lined with tire-brick.

I prefer that the area of the mouth of flue K between the arches beabout equal to or a little less than the area of the flue-space of theboiler.

In Fig. 6 I show the funnel-shaped pipe H as communicating with aninclosed ash-pan,

O, with which in turn the air-space c commu-.

nicates, so that said ash-pan serves as an airdistributing chamber,which supplies atmospheric oxygen not only to the space 0. but also tothe horizontal grate. Heretofore the front end of the ash-pan has beenopen, so that air may forcibly enter when the locomotive is inmotion,whereby the usual grate-surface was supplied with air; but the eifect ofhigh speeds has always been to cause an outward or return current of airfrom some portion of the front opening of the pan, causing theobjectionable distribution of live coals upon the road-bed, resulting infrequent injury by tire to ties, trestle-work, and bridges.

IIO

I am aware that below the ash-pan anopenin the furnace.

ash-pan closed with suitable gates, as shown, no such objectionableresults can occur; and

a minor feature of my invention consists inthe combinatiomwith a closedash-pan of a locomotive fire-box having perforated inner walls and anair-space communicating with the ash-pan, of funnel-pipes, as shown, forsupplying air under pressure with uniformity to the main grate-surface,and also to the airspace surrounding the inner walls.

In operating a furnace embodying my improvements I prefer that the bedof solid matter or coals at the sides and ends of the box be not sothick as to wholly cover the upper tier of air-ducts, and that said bedof coals be crowning in the center.

In explaining the operation of my furnace, I will first describe wherebyI obviate the development of smoke within the furnace.

Smoke is well known to be nothing more or less than watery vapor orsteam colored by carbon, which carbon ought to be consumed All fuelcontains more or less water, which, when heated, is converted intosteam, and if combustion be imperfect the carbon is not consumed, butunites with the watery vapor and passes off as smoke. I intro duce anextensive area of gratesurface, together with an extensive delivery ofatmospheric oxygen more or less heated, as described, which, being coldand compact on e11- tering the air-space, and heated and expanded onentering the fire-box among the coals, is fully fitted to eliminate andthinly distribute the Watery vapor as it leaves the fuel, so that it hasno appreciable capacity for absorbing or uniting with the carbon fromthe fuel. Such of the water-vapor as does unite with carbon is so thinor attenuated that thereverberatory efl'ect of the arches and the heatthereof during the passage in the curved flue effectually results in theburning of the carbon, depriving the water T vapor of itscoloring-matter,

even if it be not wholly converted into itsoriginal elements.

The central location of the mouth of the combustion-flue is conducive toa desirable admixture of the flame gases and air directly over thefire-bed, because the flames, rising from near both endsof the fire-bed,strike the archesand move toward and merge with the central mass offlame, which rises directly from the fire-bed into the mouth of theflue; and the downwardly-extended curved surfaces on the lower sides ofthe arches, adjacent to the mouth of the flue, contribute to said mixingeffect. The space between the crown-sheet and the straight upper surfaceof the front portion of the rear arch also serves as a contiuuation ofthe combustion-flue.

The objectionable wasteful escape of solid particles of unconsumedfuel,commonlyknown as sparks or cinders, is obviated by me as follows:The vacuum induced by the exhaust- .of steam in the smoke-stack may bere duced toa minimum, and in some cases dispensed with entirely, becauseother means are relied on for supplying atmospheric oxygen to thefire-box, and therefore there is no undue force applied to cause thesparks or cinders to leave the fire-bed. Should the air-pressure asapplied by me be so great as to cause some solid matters to rise fromthe fire-bed, the defleeting surfaces of the arches cause them to bereturned for further combustion. The area of the opening of the fluebeing small in proportion to the area of the fire-bed, only such solidmatters as might rise from immediately below would be liable to enter,and they, bein g surrounded by the concentrated heat and flame withinthe flue K, are exposed to a complete combustion before passing belowthe crowirsheet of the boiler.

The wasteful escape of noxious inflammable gaseous matter from thefurnace is prevented because of extraordinary facilities for consumingit within the fire-box. The gaseous matter cannot ignite untilit leavesthe fuel, nor even then until chemically so combined with oxygen as tofavor combustion. In my firebox all the fuel is exposed to currents ofair under the most favorable conditions having reference to temperatureandexpansion. The non-ignited gaseous matter which may rise from thelire-bed strikes the white-hot arches and is deflected upon the surfaceof the fire,

and commingled with such oxygen as may be at hand by way of the uppertier of air-ducts. and such flame or gaseous matter as passes fromeither end of the fire-bed up the flue K must twice traverse the lengthof the fire-box before reaching the boiler-fines, thus retaining thegases in the fire-box for such a time as practically insures theircombustion.

I am well aware that brick arches have heretofore extended from front torear of the firebox and been provided with a more or lesscentrally-located o1' ening; also, that watertables and brick archeshave been located at the front portion of the fire-box, extended midwaytherein, co-operating with a rear brick arch to afford a passage betweentheir coincident ends; also, that in liquid hydrocarbon furnacesoppositely-extended brick arches have been slightly overlapped foroverlying grate like pans containing the liquid fuel, but not so as topractically afford a combustion-flue between their coincident surfaces,nor were they employed in connection with perforated inner walls and asurrounding air-space; also, that water-tables operating as arches havebeen heretofore arranged within a fire-box. overlapping and affording apassage between their coincident surfaces; but such tables are incapableof being highly heated, and they are not, therefore, the equivalents ofthe brick arches as used by me; also, that in boiler fireboxes, intendedto coke the fuel prior to incan descence, and to burn the gases thuseliminated, a combustiolrflue has been'employed between o\'erla )pingarches, and that air has been admitted through a bottom grate-surface,and also at the end of the fire-box adjacent to the entrance of saidflue. Such an arrangement differs from mine, because in said priorarrangement the lower arch operates mainly as the top wall of a retortfor heating the main mass of fuel, whereas in mine the mass of burningfuel is supplied with oxygen from all sides, and both of the arches arehighly heated to enable them more fully to contribute to the combustionof gaseous matter in contact therewith.

I am also aware that heretofore boiler fireboxes have communicated withcombustionfiues extended beneath the boiler and lined with fire-brick;but such fluesliave been so constructed that but one side of thefire-brick lining was exposed to heat, whereas with my brick arches theupper and lower surfaces of both are exposed for attaining the highestpossible degree of heat without wasteful radiation. Said priorarrangement further difiers from mine in that the oxygen supplied otherthan by the usual grate-surface is admitted at the end or entrance tothe return-flue remote from instead of adjacent to the fuel, as in myfurnace; also, that furnace-doors have heretofore been hinged at the topand arranged to open inward, to serve as deflectors for air rushing intothe box at time of feeding; but 1 know of no prior overlappin garchespro ided with the deflecting surfaces shown, nor any which afford thecentral flue extending toward the front of the tire-box.

I am also well aware that heretofore coils of water-pipe have beenplaced within tire-pots of stoves and furnaces of various kinds; but Iknow of no prior arrangement of such pipes for affording spaces throughwhich atmospheric oxygen was forced into the fire-box, and such pipesconstitute a portion of my apparatus only in so far as they sery e asthe side walls of a fire-box embodying the surrounding air-space andmeans for forcing into said space and-between said pipes into and uponthe fuel ample supply of atmospheric oxygen when used in combinationwith the overlapping arches.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentr- 1. The furnace, substantially as shown anddescribed, containing the following elements, constructed and arrangedas follows, to wit: outer walls, a grate, perforated inner wallsaffording side grate-surface, an air-space between said wallscommunicating with pipes for the forcible induction of atmosphericoxygen, a front brick arch extending to or near the central portion ofthe fire-box, and a rear brick arch, which overlaps the front arch toafford between their coincident surfaces a combustion-flue, whereby theVolume of flame, gas, and air from all parts of the fire-bed isconcentrated centrally at the mouth of the combustion-flue, theadmixture of gas and air assured by reason of said central concentrationabove the fire-bed, and combustion of the gases assured in their passagethrough the flue and above the arches, as set forth.

2. A boiler-furnace walled in part by the flue-sheet and the crown-sheetof the boiler, provided with a grate, outer side Walls, inner perforatedside and end walls, an air-space between said outer and inner walls, andtwo brick arches interposed between the crownsheet and grate, whichoverlap each other and afford a combustion-fiue'between them leadingupward and away from the flue-sheet, substantially as described, wherebythe brick arches are maintained at a high degree of heat for aiding inburning the mixture of gas and air and the combustion of solid andgaseous matter practically confined to the fire-box beneath thecrown-sheet and prior to entering the boiler-flues, as set forth.

3. In aboiler-furnace, a pair of brick. arches, affording acombustion-flue, and having downwardly-curved surfaces on each side ofthe entrance to said flue, substantially as described, whereby theflames and unconsui'ned combustible matter rising from or near the endsof the furnace are deflected toward the center of the fire-bed andexposed to favorable mixing conditions prior to entering thecombustionflue, as set forth.

4. The combination, with a closed locomotive ash-pan, of the perforatedfire-box walls, the air-space surrounding said walls and con]-muni'cating with the ash-pan, and a funnelpipe for conveying air underpressure into the ash-pan and air-space, substantially as described.

CHARLES F. PIKE.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. PURKIS, SANFURD U. HOVEY.

